Chapter 16: You Are My Eyes

Upon hearing this, Shen Xian immediately smiled and sent a corporate account to Chen Feng: "The account name is Nanzhou City Children's Welfare Institute. When you transfer the money, add a note: 'Donation from Shen Xian, supporting poverty alleviation and spreading love.'"

Both Liu Ruyun and Chen Feng were taken aback by this.

Chen Feng’s handsome face twisted with anger, his eyes bloodshot. "Shen Xian, you're going too far!"

Shen Xian smiled faintly. "I'm sorry, but I don't have much faith in your character. If I take your money and delete the video, what's stopping you from accusing me of blackmail right after? You could pull a few strings and I’d be lucky to get out of jail in fifteen years!"

Liu Ruyun had never hated Shen Xian as much as she did now.

If looks could kill, Chen Feng's glare would have sliced Shen Xian into a thousand pieces, torturing him to death.

None of the three—including Wang Tianqi—had expected Shen Xian to be so bold, refusing to keep a single cent of the extorted money, donating it all instead!

And with the note: "Donation from Shen Xian, supporting poverty alleviation and spreading love." Wasn’t that just rubbing salt in their wounds?

Most importantly, there was no way for them to explain it publicly.

Were they supposed to admit that, unable to hold their tongues and lacking basic decency, they’d handed Shen Xian leverage over them?

Chen Feng felt as though he’d swallowed a lump of filth, complete with undigested mushrooms—disgusted beyond words.

"Are you transferring the money or not?" Shen Xian asked. "If not, I’m leaving. Wang Tianqi, have you finished eating?"

Wang Tianqi popped the last piece of beef into his mouth. "I'm full."

"Wait!" Chen Feng forced down his disgust and spoke up. "We’ll transfer it!"

He and Liu Ruyun began gathering the money. "Ruyun, send me fifty million first so we can settle this!"

Liu Ruyun’s eyes widened. "I only have fifty million left. If I send it all, how am I supposed to live?"

Chen Feng, a little impatient, said, "Trust me, we'll make it back in three months. Don’t lose sight of the bigger picture over a small loss!"

"Why don’t you ask your father? Isn’t your family loaded? What’s eighty million to you?" Liu Ruyun retorted.

For the first time, Chen Feng thought Liu Ruyun was being foolish. "Come on, how am I supposed to explain this to my dad? Can we go public with this? People would laugh themselves to death!"

"This is all your fault! If you hadn’t insisted on eating here, we wouldn’t have run into Shen Xian and none of this would’ve happened!" Liu Ruyun complained, looking at Chen Feng with displeasure.

Chen Feng replied, "Who started the insults in the first place? Now you’re blaming me?"

Watching them bicker, Shen Xian knocked on the table, clearly annoyed. "Hey, take your issues home. I’m busy. If you’re not transferring, I’m leaving!"

With a heavy heart, Liu Ruyun transferred the money to Chen Feng.

Chen Feng began the transfer on his phone.

"Wait, let me edit the transfer note," Shen Xian said.

Chen Feng hesitated, but handed his phone to Shen Xian, feeling as though his very flesh was being sliced away.

After the transfer, Chen Feng showed the screenshot to Shen Xian.

True to his word, Shen Xian opened his cloud storage, found the newly recorded video, and deleted it in front of them.

"Perfect," Shen Xian laughed.

"I'm full. President Shen, shall we go?" Wang Tianqi said.

"Miss Liu, Mr. Chen, until we meet again," Shen Xian said politely, waving at them.

Chen Feng and Liu Ruyun felt utterly nauseated.

They considered telling the welfare institute that the donation was from them, hoping to gain some positive publicity through the media.

But how could they explain the transfer note?

If the screenshot ever got out, netizens would speculate endlessly.

What would they say if word reached their company?

Everyone would assume Shen Xian had something on them, forcing them to act.

"Shen Xian, you’re truly ruthless!" Chen Feng slammed his fist on the table, making the dishes rattle.

"Wow, isn’t that the famous Liu Ruyun? I can’t believe I’m actually seeing her here!" A fan spotted Liu Ruyun and hurried over, excitedly exclaiming, "Miss Liu, I’m such a huge fan of yours! I love your music. Could I get your autograph?"

The ferocity vanished from Liu Ruyun’s face, and all the pent-up anger was forcefully suppressed. She removed her mask, revealing a gentle, sweet smile. "Of course, thank you so much for your support!"

Now that was acting.

A second ago, her face was twisted in rage; the next, she was blooming with smiles.

Wang Tianqi and Shen Xian left the restaurant and took the elevator.

In the elevator, only the two of them remained.

"They really had a stroke of bad luck today," Wang Tianqi said with a grin. "Eighty million, just like that, gone because of you!"

"Who wouldn’t feel the pain?" Shen Xian chuckled.

"I never thought you’d have such nerve, not keeping a penny and donating it all to the welfare institute," Wang Tianqi said, a little awestruck.

"If I’d kept a cent, they’d have me thrown in jail by tomorrow," Shen Xian replied. "So why not give it all to the welfare institute? I do a good deed, make them miserable, and they can’t sue me or brag about it publicly."

This was the perfect open conspiracy.

It was as if Shen Xian had pointed at a pile of filth on the ground and told Liu Ruyun and Chen Feng, "You two have to eat this mess of mushrooms and filth. It’ll make you sick, but if you don’t eat it, you’ll starve."

A real-life version of the infamous dish, perhaps?

Wang Tianqi found himself admiring Shen Xian’s quick thinking. Was there anything more effective?

With just a little leverage, Shen Xian had driven them to utter despair.

"You didn’t see how they tried to disgust me earlier," Shen Xian said.

He then told Wang Tianqi everything that had happened the day Liu Ruyun broke up with him.

Wang Tianqi was silent for a long while. "If I were you, I’d have cried myself to death. But you’re still able to laugh."

Shen Xian replied, "I have a good attitude."

Wang Tianqi mused, "Is it possible that you never really loved Liu Ruyun? That those three years were driven by guilt, by a sense of responsibility rather than love? That’s why you always treated her well and gave her the best, but it wasn’t actually love."

Shen Xian paused. "Maybe you’re right."

"You and Li Xiurong are true love. But where’s my true love?" Shen Xian shook his head.

Perhaps his childhood experiences had worn away his capacity for love.

The two returned to Shen Xian’s place and began to record a song.

"This song is called 'You Are My Eyes.' I’ll record a sample for you first, then you can sing it with your own feeling," Shen Xian said as they entered the studio.

Hearing the title, Wang Tianqi instantly thought of Li Xiurong, and tears welled up once again.

Shen Xian’s voice flowed gently.

If only I could see,
I could easily tell day from night,
I could reach out in a crowd
And hold your hand...
...